I have a soft spot for romantic comedies—maybe not my absolute favourite genre, but definitely one I indulge in pretty often.
A couple of months ago, I watched the 2008 movie “27 Dresses,” where the romantic leads are a serial bridesmaid (Katherine Heigl) and a cynical wedding columnist (James Marsden). The pair hold drastically different opinions on the weddings, but despite their differing views, there’s a moment that happens in every wedding that they share a fascination with: the groom’s reaction to the bride walking down the aisle.
On a seemingly unrelated note, I’ve been keeping track of the gigs I’ve attended this year. Last Saturday night marked #28, when I made the excellent decision to go see Feven Kidane’s sextet (Feven Kidane, John Nicholson, Nebyu Yohannes, Noah Franche-Nolan, Milo Walker Johnson, & Biboye Onanuga) play at Ocean Artworks as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
So, what could the movie “27 Dresses” and attending 28 gigs possibly have in common? I’m so glad you asked!
In “27 Dresses,” Heigl’s character describes her aforementioned favourite wedding moment:
“You know how the bride makes her entrance and everybody turns to look at her? That’s when I look at the groom. Cause his face says it all you know? The pure love there.”
Most of the time, when I watch a romantic comedy, I enjoy it in the moment and never think about it again. But while watching Saturday’s show, this quote came to mind and I found myself drawing parallels to my experiences in watching live music.
Watching live improvisational music played by musicians who are fully present and who love what they’re doing is the best- watching and listening to someone express themselves through their improvisation is beautiful, but I especially love watching the rest of the band listen and respond to the solos, which I think is something you only get to really, fully enjoy when you’re actually sitting there watching it unfold before you. In these moments, the quote from the movie is reimagined to fit this context:
“You know how when someone is taking a solo everybody turns to face them? That’s when I look at the rest of the band- cause their faces say it all you know? The pure love there.”
Yeah, it’s cheesy and even cringe-worthy, but I stand by it. It’s not every show, and it’s not every musician, because not everyone expresses themselves visibly, and not every gig feeds your soul. But getting the chance to witness expressive musicians show love for their each other through music is so special—and this feeling was undeniably present last Saturday night.